One by one, trembling yet excited voices echoed across the planet.
"How did he do that? Was it some kind of illusion?"
"No! It's real! That was a city on the southern islands. I saw the red flash from my ship, and the surrounding sea was torn by hurricanes!"
"Lord Babidi, with subordinates as powerful as that, why would you still want to destroy Earth?"
"Yeah! We Earthlings never offended you! Besides, we've just survived a catastrophic disaster. We have no strength left to resist you!"
"Whatever you want, just take it. There's no need to destroy the Earth!"
[Hmph! I came to this planet for one thing!]
[But even that one thing has made me waste six months of precious time here!]
[My time is extremely valuable. And after all this, I've gained less than half of what I could have collected on another planet!]
[If I'd gone somewhere else, I would have conquered half the universe by now!]
[Do you understand my frustration?!]
Babidi's voice grew cold and biting.
[So, if you want to live, come and join this martial arts tournament. It's your last chance…]
With that, Babidi's voice vanished from everyone's minds.
Inside the aircraft, Bulma frowned in disgust.
"That bastard! What does he think our lives are worth?!"
"Doctor, calm down. This is the crisis I told you about. We've got only three days left. We need to plan our next move carefully."
Ironically, Babidi's ultimatum actually took a bit of weight off Levos' shoulders.
At least he didn't have to live in constant fear of instant destruction anymore.
Still, three days wasn't much time.
The sequence of the Dragon Ball wishes would have to be executed flawlessly.
Reviving Goku, Vegeta, Kami, and Piccolo was essential.
Kami and Piccolo were the top priority, which meant they would need the Namekian Dragon Balls.
Porunga, the Namekian dragon, could grant three wishes, but according to the original rules, only one person could be revived per wish.
Since Kami and Piccolo shared the same life force, reviving Piccolo would likely bring Kami back as well.
Once Kami returned, Earth's Dragon Balls would be reactivated.
But this timeline never had Dende become the new Guardian, so Earth's Dragon Balls were never upgraded.
Which meant the Earth dragon could only grant one wish at a time.
Though the Earth dragon could still revive large groups of people at once, it came with significant limitations.
Those who had been dead for more than a year, or those who had already been resurrected once, couldn't be revived again.
And to fully bring someone back, their physical body had to remain intact. Otherwise, they'd come back as skeletons or worse. That would be… unsettling.
Trunks' body was completely gone, and Future Gohan had been dead for many years.
It seemed the Earth's Dragon Balls couldn't bring back anyone truly critical.
Still, having the Dragon Balls was better than not having them at all.
Whether to restore the ravaged planet or to use them to boost their strength, they would be invaluable.
The other two wishes from the Namekian Dragon Balls could be used to revive Goku and Vegeta.
But there was still one pressing issue. Goku's body was still ravaged by the viral heart disease.
"Doctor, do you still have the cure for the heart virus?"
"Yes! I made plenty of it." Bulma nodded confidently.
"Also, do you happen to know if the Earth Dragon Balls are still gathered in one place?"
If they had to start hunting for the Dragon Balls from scratch, time would be even tighter.
"Ah, that's a problem! After the Dragon Balls entered their dormant period, Mr. Piccolo was killed in the battle against the androids."
When the Dragon Balls go dormant, they turn to stone and can't be tracked with the Dragon Radar.
"Well, if we can use Instant Transmission, gathering them on the fly won't take long. Goku's going to be busy the whole day he's back in the living world." Levos rubbed his chin, uncertain whether one day would be enough to accomplish everything.
"As long as we can bring Goku back, everything will turn out alright." Bulma's belief was unwavering. She suddenly slammed the accelerator. "Hold on tight! I'm picking up the pace!"
White smoke trailed from the back of the aircraft as they soared away from West City.
When Levos finally climbed out of the aircraft, his legs were like jelly, and his head was spinning.
It was his first time on an aircraft, and he'd been nervous enough as it was. Bulma's full-throttle boost nearly pushed him over the edge.
Fortunately, he hadn't eaten anything for days. Otherwise, he probably would have puked.
Amid the endless golden desert, a brilliant blue lake shimmered like a jewel.
And at the heart of the lake stood a grand palace, an incredible human-made marvel.
"Wow, this place is amazing. I didn't know Fortuneteller Baba was this loaded." Levos muttered under his breath.
As they approached the palace gates, a small, pale-pink ghost zipped toward them.
"Are you here to see Fortuneteller Baba?"
"Yes!" Bulma stepped forward to answer.
Levos still hadn't fully recovered. He was weak and dizzy as he dragged two heavy travel bags stuffed with cash to the palace entrance.
His stomach was growling, and his vision was spinning.
The ghost's eyes lit up when it caught sight of the bundles of cash peeking out from the unzipped bags. "Please, come inside. You're welcome to rest in the palace."
"No need. We're here on urgent business with Fortuneteller Baba."
Until the crisis was resolved, Levos couldn't afford to relax.
The little ghost looked troubled. "The Mistress has gone to visit a friend. I don't know when she'll be back."
"What?! How long has she been gone?"
Both Bulma and Levos instantly darkened.
The very first step of their plan had hit a snag.
"Let's see… it's been almost six months now."
"Can you contact her?"
The ghost pulled out a phone and tapped away for a while.
Eventually, it looked back, full of regret. "I can't reach her. She must be somewhere very far away."
"Where do you think she went?"
"Most of the Mistress's friends aren't on Earth. She's probably on another planet or in the Other World. I really don't know where exactly."
"Did she leave any instructions before she left?" Levos' heart sank.
"She said the living world had gotten too dangerous. She planned to stay with an old friend for a while."
Fortuneteller Baba was known for traveling freely between life and death, and her ability to predict the future gave her an unmatched instinct for danger.
"Are you sure she didn't say when she'd be back? Please think carefully." Levos wasn't ready to give up yet.
If Fortuneteller Baba could return within three days, there was still hope.
The ghost tilted its head, pondering for a moment. "She really didn't say."
"Do you remember how long she usually stays away when she travels?"
"She doesn't follow a set schedule. For the past twenty years, she's often gone visiting friends. Sometimes she's away for a few months, sometimes a few years."
Levos buried his face in his hands.
It's over.Fortuneteller Baba had clearly fled to the Other World to wait out the crisis.
Chances were, she wouldn't return until this was all over.
But then again, in this world, nothing was ever set in stone.
"Little one, we'll leave our contact information with you. Please let us know the moment Fortuneteller Baba returns, alright?"
"Of course! Leave it to me!" The ghost patted its chest with pride.
Levos' initial plan was now basically dead in the water.
Just to be safe, he and Bulma made sure to leave detailed instructions before departing.
If Fortuneteller Baba returned within the next three days and couldn't reach them, she was to bring Goku back to the living world immediately and have him Instant Transmission straight to Capsule Corporation to find them.
As a down payment, they left the two travel bags stuffed with cash in the palace.
"Levos, what do we do now?" The spark seemed to fade from Bulma's eyes.
"Doctor, don't lose heart. Even without Fortuneteller Baba, I still have a backup plan."
Although there was a second option, it was far from perfect, definitely not as elegant as the original plan.